Improvement in shoe-trees



UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

CURTIS STODDABD, OF NOBTH BROOKFIELD, MASSAOHUSETTS.

IMPRVEMENT IN SHOE-TREES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 130,329, dated August6, 1872.

T0 all whom St mag; concerh:

Be it known that I, CUR'IIS STODDARD, of North Brookfield, in thc countycf WVorcester and State cf Massachusetts, have invcnted an ImprovedShoe-Trec; and I d0 hereby declare that 'he following takcn inconnection with the drawing which accompanics and forms part of thisspccification, is a description 'of my invcntion sufficicnt to cnablthosc skillcd in thc art to pract-ice it.

My invention relates 1:0 thc construction and arrangement of a shoe-treefor stretching and holding shoes in finishing them. In my invention Ihave a solid leg-piecc, with a sliding foot-piecc applied 1:0 its frontside and a movable heel and stretchcr-block ab its rear sidc, said blockbeing jointcd at its upper end t-o thc leg-piece, and beim g forced out;by a levcr extcnding through thc front of the lcg-piece and in by aspring, the lcver bcing hold. in position 130 keep the parts open andthe shoc Stretchcd. upon thc tree by 2m suitable ratchetplatc. Thcinvention consists in a tree thus made. 1

The drawing rcpresents at-rce embodying my invention, A showing a sidevicw, B a top view, 0 a freut vicw, and D a scction, cf the trec.

a denotes thc main or leg piece; b, the footpiece, attached so thc piccca by a dovetail tenon, c, Sliding in a mortise d in tnc piece a. edenotes the movable block. This block is pivoted to the piece a by apin, f, oho block being hold up to thc lcg-piece awith its adjacent faceabutting or pressed toward the legpiecc by the stress of a spring, g. hdcnotcs the lcver for forcing the block e outward, said lever bcingpivoted at z. The long arm of this lcver extends through a slot, k, inthe piece a, an(l has a handle, l, and thc short arm m is bent and itsend bcars and plays against a face, n, beyond the slot k.

Thc tree, when in position, extends horizontally from the bench, beingfastened to the bench by a pin, o, that extends into a suitable socketin the hauch. Whcn the shoe is to be placed 011 thc tree, 01 treed, thehandlel is discngaged from a ratchet-plate, p, and thc stress of thespring closes the block e upon the piece a. 'lhe shoc is then dralwnovcr thc foot-piecc b and upon the lcg-picce a, and, when in position,thc levcr-handle l is prcsscd. towa-rd the leg-picco a, which throws outthc block e and foot-piccc b against the- Stress cf the spring and.stretches the boot; upon thc three picces a b e, in which st-retcheclposition it is held by locking the levcr h in placc by engaging it withone of thc tceth of oho ratchet-platc p. When the work upon thc shoe isfinishcd, o1 the shoe is ready for rcmoval, the lc cr is unlocked orslipped from thc ratchet-plate, whcn oho spring g will instantly closcoho p2ubs togcther, und thc shoc can oben bc withdmwn from the t1ce.

In applying the shoe the foot-piece is first slippcd into the front ofthe shoe-foot, and thcn ehe leg-picce a is slid upon its tenon c, and tohold thc foot-piccc and leg-piecc togethcr a pin, q, may be used, s-aidpin being in thc end 0f a lcver, r, and. being forccd. into thefootpicce, when oho block is opened, by the stress cf a spring, t, thcpressure ot' thc block against: thc lever forcing back thc pi n when thctrcc is closed. T0 covcr the open spacc between the lcg-piece a andblock e when the trcc is open, a platze, u, is fixed to euch sidc cf ehestretchcr-block e, and extends over thc adjacent edgc of the leg-piecc,as seen a1; A.

By means of the trec so ma(le shoes may be very rapidly jacked, trecd,01 strctched, for hancl-finishing opcration, and thc tool is vcry simpleand strong, is easily worked, and is inexpcnsive.

I claim The shoe-trce having oho lcg-picce a, so which thc foot-piece vb is applied and the stretcher-block e pivoted, thc block e bcingpresscd in by the spring g applied to thc legpiccc and to oho block, andbeing forced. out

by the lcver h, all substantially as shown and described.

CURTIS STODDARD.

Witnesses:

HIRAM KNIGHT, JAMES MILLER.

